A 60-year-old Michigan woman who was rejected for a heart transplant due to lack of "a more secure financial plan" had raised $30,610 as of Nov. 28, according her GoFundMe page.
Hedda Martin posted on social media Nov. 26 that Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Spectrum Health's multidisciplinary heart transplant committee could meet soon to discuss next steps, according to a Detroit Free Press report.
In a Nov. 20 letter that went viral, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Spectrum Health told Ms. Martin the heart transplant committee determined she was "not a candidate at this time for a heart transplant due to needing a more secure financial plan for immunosuppresive medication coverage."
The system recommended she raise $10,000 to be considered for the transplant.
The GoFundMe page says $10,000 will cover the 20 percent copay needed for two years of immunosuppresive drugs, which help prevent a person's body from rejecting a new heart or other transplanted organ.
Ms. Martin, a Medicare patient who has congestive heart failure induced by 2005 chemotherapy for breast cancer, was scheduled to undergo surgical implantation of a ventricular assist pump as an alternative survival plan, but she said on Facebook that was postponed given the recent fundraising, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Spectrum Health referred Becker's to an updated statement posted Nov. 27 on its website.
"We take seriously the gift of organ donation and are fortunate to live in a community where people are willing to make this generous gift. It is important for patients to understand the long-term commitment they are making when accepting an organ donation. For this reason, we strive to ensure each patient is the best match so the donation contributes to a renewed life," the statement says.
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